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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Am I eating too little? Is that why my let down is slow at night?

20 replies

fairysnuff · 10/02/2007 19:09

I have been on before with this kind of question, but recently I mentioned it to someone else and it came to me that I am still struggling.
I am scared that this will be the first feed that I will have to drop and I Really don't want to drop this one at all!!

Suggestions were to rest in the afternoon, but I really stuggle to do that. Can't seem to slow down!
I know it is bad but I really do stuggle to eat a lot too, I am not a big eater and if I forget, then I just snack on rubbish. I rarely eat 3 square meals. Justa yoghurt for breakfast, something small for lunch and a decent dinner, with snacking on chocolate or apples.

OP posts:
NurseyJo · 10/02/2007 19:11

This reply has been deleted

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shonaspurtle · 10/02/2007 19:24

No expert, but IIRC this is one of the breastfeeding myths - apparently you'd need to be really starving yourself for it to affect your supply.

If you think about mothers in the developing world who have a much lower calorie intake than us but bf successfully for years it makes sense.

shonaspurtle · 10/02/2007 19:26

Here are some of the breastfeeding myths - Dr Newman has collected lots!

MrsBadger · 10/02/2007 19:31

agree it's a myth, but for your own sanity maybe try snacking on toast or something similarly carby rather than chocolate?
I find if I buy 6 rolls, butter them and stick them in the fridge they make v good instant snacks for a few days - could even add cheese, ham etc.

NotQuiteCockney · 10/02/2007 19:50

I find yoga breathing is good for speeding up letdown. That, and paying attention to something (anything) else.

DaisyMOO · 10/02/2007 19:59

Unless you're starving or dehydrated the amount you eat or drink won't affect your milk supply. When you say 'at night' do you mean in the evening or in the night? Is it when feeds are fairly close together because IME when there is less milk collected in the breasts it seems to take longer to actually feel the let down.

It probably would be a good idea for you to try and eat a bit more, but only because if you're going too long without food you will feel rotten as you are using up loads of calories breastfeeding. As MrsBadger said, toast's good, or some nice soup, both are quick to make. Or breakfast cereal and milk at any time of the day - carbohydrate, protein, vitamins, calcium all in one go

Original poster
fairysnuff · 11/02/2007 15:42

I feel better that it is unlikely to be my eating habits, though i do think I ought to try to eat better snacks than Chocolate, but it's sooo gooood!!

I noticed yesterday that my let down was slower at other times of the day, so maybe I am worrying un-necessarily but I am just frightened that I will have to drop it first.
Relaxing totally helped to. She was calm last night and I was able to just stroke her head and talk quietly to her for a bit last night before I popped her on, the let down was way faster. But she is not always calm before we begin. But hey ho, you can't have it all ways!?

OP posts:
MrsBadger · 11/02/2007 16:48

glad the being-calm helped and you're feeling better about it all - I can recommend Nutella on toast

tiktok · 11/02/2007 17:36

NurseyJo, I don't want to resurrect the spat you and I had a couple of years ago (when you started issuing unhelpful 'information') but I am quite prepared to, if it it means you get yourself better informed about breastfeeding, before you start to lay the law down the way you do

Drinking plenty is not VITAL (your caps). Drinking to thirst will help the mum be comfortable, and many women do get more thirsty when bf, but it is not VITAL (your caps again) to the let down (fairy's question was about this) or the milk supply.

It is also unnecessary to eat something 'around an hour before each feed' - and while having a decent breakfast, lunch and tea is not at all a bad thing, not doing it will not make any difference to the let down, or to the overall breastmilk quantity of quality.

Why place these 'rules' onto breastfeeding mothers? You may be getting these ideas from some textbook but can I suggest you change your reading matter? You said something else the other day that made my heart sink - can't remember what it was, sorry!

Fairy - lots of women are unaware of when their letdown starts, how many letdowns they have, and whether or not it is fast or slow....what makes you think your let down is a problem?

moondog · 11/02/2007 17:39

I never had any idea when letdown occured.
It may never have done for all I knew as I never leaked a drop.

Baby grew and was happy so I figured something was going right.

Don't worry about it.

Lizzzombie · 11/02/2007 18:10

I read somewhere that in the evening/at night your let down (that is milk supply right?) can be slower just because you tend to be knackered. And the milk you produce during the day is more nutritious than the milk you produce later on in the evening, so if you are thinking about expressing - I read you should do it during the day. Guess this would make sense as my LO is more fretful when feeding in the evening, and appears more hungry even though I can hear him gulping it down, and he feeds for longer in the evenings too.
Goodluck! x

DizzyBint · 11/02/2007 18:18

nurseryjo..did you used to be a maternity nurse or am i thinking of a nursery somebody else?

tiktok · 11/02/2007 18:24

Lizzie, there's no reason why 'evening milk' should be less nutritious than milk at any other time of the day or night....so no reason to not express then

Babies can be more fractious in the evening, it's true, but so can formula fed babies. It's a prime time for colicky behaviour, for cluster feeding, for babies who just want to be held.

princessmel · 11/02/2007 18:36

TickTok,
My Hv said to me that my milk was less filling in the evening when I and dd was tired and that was why she cried. She also said I needed to sleep for 2 hours every day, with a newborn and a 2.5yr old. Double !!

Its so hard when you get the wrong advice. Thank goodness you're here!!

Nothing to add to thread really exept to say that I couldn't always feel my let down either. Watching telly helped me relax as I wasn't so focussed on feeding.

moondog · 11/02/2007 18:55

Princess,what an idiot.
Talk about undermining you-!

determination · 11/02/2007 21:26

ITA with Tiktok on this thread but would have to add some extras that always helped me letdown... although like some i didn't always feel it.

  • i would always switch my way of thinking into "relaxed happy mode!"

  • Smell and hear my baby

  • Think of something he/she does that makes you go all gooey (my dd used to move her tongue like she was still feeding with her mouth open, when she was zonked after a feed, i could have watched her all day/night doing this, i loved it - this always helped me letdown)

  • try gently/softly massaging your breast down towards your nipple - almost like a tickle (if you like that)

Original poster
fairysnuff · 11/02/2007 23:36

Tiktok, she just seems far more fretful when we are trying to feed, and really grumbles as the milk is not coming through, i have to swop her from one to the other a few times (some evenings) or she would just cry , until it finally comes through.
I am concerned because she is sometimes so calm before she comes to me and then ends up all upset when it is not fast enough.
Dh does the bath and gets her ready then carries her to bed before handing her over to me for the feed.
There were a couple of occasions today and yesterday when the let down was slow through the day too. Today it was defo cos I was busy making a tv cabinet when I stopped to feed, so I was all busy and distracted before I fed and the let down was almost as slow as evening times. Tonight was also slow but I was having an argument with DH before so I was stressed. I took some time to have a cuddle with DD before I even tried to feed her though, in order to calm myself as well as her though I am not sure she was to aware of it all. The let down was still mega slow but she was so sleepy I think it ended up a dream feed
I think it just upsets me to think that she is working away and getting nothing for her efforts, she may end up feeling it is not worth her while, esp once she is on solids? Though I try to give her a bottle as rarely as pos, so she does not realise there is an easier alternative.
Sorry for the big ramble

OP posts:
tiktok · 12/02/2007 05:26

Dizzy - yes, nurseyjo is or was a maternity nurse.

Fairy - I can hear that something is not quite right, and maybe it is the letdown, not sure....best thing would be to talk it through with one of the bf helplines, if you can - what do you think?

I really, really don't think you need to jump to the conclusion it is let down. With established bf, this is not usually an issue except in v. extreme circumstances. I don't know how old your dd is.

Hope things go better today, though.

princessmel · 12/02/2007 08:35

Hi Moondog, I know Grrrgh!! I'm over it now though

MummyPossum · 13/02/2007 00:14

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